I ran up the staff-only staircase, which brought me out into the second floor corridor. I was pretty sure the door to the secret chamber was in one of the rooms just ahead. This seemed like as good an opportunity as any to try it out.
Relying on my mental map to guide me, I fled into the room in question.
“It should be somewhere around... A bookshelf?!”
Based on what I remembered, there was a bookshelf where the secret door ought to have been. C’mon, man, where’s the door?! Wait...this has gotta be a cover.
Think, Viola, think! In the maze, the door opened...inwards. That means I have to pull on it!
I placed my hand against the edge of the bookshelf and pulled. It moved much more easily than I was expecting, revealing a hole that led to the secret passage.
“Whoaaaa! No time to admire it, though!”
Mr. Fisalis’s footsteps were fast approaching.
Careful not to make any noise, I slipped through and shut the door behind me.
The inside was dimly lit and too narrow to fit more than one person at a time. I’d expected it to be pitch black, but light peeked through here and there—via strategically placed cracks in the wall, if I had to guess. Since it was the middle of the day, I could even make my way around without a lantern. Perhaps it was designed to catch the light from the other rooms at night?
Either way, it wasn’t anywhere near as dingy as I’d been imagining.
“I’d better figure out where I am on my mental map, or I’m going to end up lost. Wow, this place is carpeted?”
The carpet under my feet served to muffle the sound of my footsteps. No doubt it was designed to be soundproof. We wouldn’t want our enemies to discover our secret hiding place, after all!
First the lighting, now the carpet—I was in awe of all these ingenious features.
Whoops! Getting caught up admiring the place sounds like a good way to get caught. I’d better get moving.
As I continued on my way, following the map in my head, I heard Mr. Fisalis’s voice ring out from who-knows-where. “I know you’re in here, Vi!”
Oh no, he’s here! And with the way his voice is echoing, I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Talk about creepy! This means I’d better get out of here, huh? He knows this part of the house way better than I do. It’s a shame I have to leave when I’ve only just gotten in here. I wanted to see the secret chamber!
Nevertheless, I weighed “exploring the hidden passage” and “not losing this game of tag” on the scales, and the latter won out.
Okay. Time to escape through the nearest door! I can check out the secret passage whenever I want!
I opened the closest door and stepped outside.
✦ ✦ ✦
Going through the door brought me to one of the guest rooms on the second floor. I had the map laid out in my mind, of course, so I knew exactly where I was.
“One option is to leave, head into our bedroom, and go back to the secret chamber from there.”
While I considered where to hide next, I eased open the door to the guest room and stepped out into the corridor. But then...
“Found you!”
“Uh-oh!”
Mr. Fisalis popped right out of another room!
The two of us resumed our chase down the hallway.
Tea time is so close I can taste it! I don’t want to race him down a straight path, so I’d better turn a corner. Oh, the stairs! Might as well head down.
Being as careful as I could not to trip and fall, I rushed down the steps at top speed. I soon heard Mr. Fisalis thundering down the stairs behind me.
I was hopping down the steps; he was practically flying over them. How was I going to make it out of this one?!
I made it to the bottom, rounded the corner, and... Nooo! It’s just more hallway! I wanted to flee into another room, but I didn’t have the time to open any doors.
Now I was stuck in the exact kind of straight shot track I’d been trying to avoid...but no matter. I summoned up the last of my strength to race down the corridor.
“I win, Vi!” Mr. Fisalis shouted, his voice drawing closer by the second. There was no time to look back and see how close he was, so I just ran as fast as my legs could carry me.
C’mon, someone come call us for tea before I get caught!
No sooner had I thought, O God of Tea (who?!), hear my plea! than there came the heavy click of someone opening the door to a room we’d just passed.
“What, pray tell, are the two of you doing?”
I automatically ground to a stop. So did Mr. Fisalis.
When we turned our heads, frozen in our tracks, it was not the God of Tea (huh?) we found standing there—it was Rohtas. The smile on his face was even scarier than usual.
“Well? Care to explain why you’re running in the halls?”
“We were, uh...”
“Playing a game of tag...”
“I see. Why don’t you tell me all about it in the parlor?”
“Yes, sir,” we responded in unison.
We then spent the time left until afternoon tea (and beyond) subjected to one of Rohtas’s lectures.
I’m sorry! A pair of grown adults playing tag in the house? I don’t know what came over us.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I didn’t get to see much of the hidden passage, after all.”
“Another time, maybe.”
“Show me like a normal person next time! Ugh, maybe I should ask Rohtas instead.”
“Look, I’m sorry! I swear I’ll give you a proper tour!”
Unfortunately, our game of tag had ended in a draw.
Or maybe that’s not so unfortunate for me...?